"Female Dan Hurley","Such a sore loser": Kim Mulkey comes under fire from fans after snarky dig at reporter goes viral

LSU coach Kim Mulkey lashed out at a reporter during the postgame press conference after the Tigers lost 72-65 to UCLA in the Elite Eight on Sunday. Mulkey took issue with a question from a reporter regarding LSU's Elite Eight losses in consecutive seasons.

The Tigers, who won the national championship in 2023, failed to make it to the Final Four for the second year in a row. They lost to Iowa in the Elite Eight last year.

KLSU Sports' Jayden Smith reminded Kim Mulkey of that fact after the loss to UCLA. However, before Smith could finish his question, Mulkey interrupted him and asked if that was "terrible" or "good."

"Terrible," Smith said.

"Is it? How many Final Fours (did) you play in?" Mulkey retorted.

"None," Smith replied.

"So it's probably pretty good, huh?" Mulkey added.

Following the exchange, fans on social media criticized Mulkey for being condescending and a poor sport. Here are some of the reactions:

"Female Dan Hurley," one user wrote.

"She’s such a sore loser," another added.

"Thats a ridiculous response from Kim," a fan said.

"It’s no coincidence her players also have zero respect for anyone or themselves. Sad!" an X user stated.

"She said it was terrible. He agreed & matched her energy & then she tried to embarrass him. SMH… come on Kim, you’re better thn that," another commented.

"Hate this lady. Glad she tasted defeat!" one more added.

Kim Mulkey reflects on the defensive effort against Lauren Betts and UCLA

Although LSU's junior guard Flau'jae Johnson scored a game-high 28 points, it was not enough to overcome UCLA's strong defense. They held Aneesah Morrow to just 15 points — half of her output from the Sweet 16 against NC State — and limited Mikaylah Williams to 10 points.

In the postgame presser, Kim Mulkey acknowledged the defensive challenges posed by the Bruins and also talked about how she prepared her team to go up against the opposition’s top scorer, Lauren Betts.

"Betts did not beat us. We guarded her as tough as we could guard her," Kim Mulkey said. "We did not take advantage of Betts being off the floor in the second quarter, and we allowed perimeter threes and other people to step up.

"But I will say, they're not all about Betts. She is just a safety valve down there. When they get in trouble, she can score at will."

The loss means senior Aneesah Morrow has played her last game for the LSU Tigers. Johnson has yet to decide on her WNBA draft decisions as she is eligible for this year's draft.